


Bite the Bullet

by Turtlez



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Anxiety, Blood and Violence, Canon-Typical Violence, Case Fic, Elijah Kamski & Gavin Reed are Siblings, Enemies to Lovers, Explicit Language, M/M, Panic Attacks, Post Pacifist Ending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-02-12
Packaged: 2019-10-13 16:22:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17491301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Turtlez/pseuds/Turtlez
Summary: Gavin's entire life has just been a series of betrayals, one followed by another. After a certain point, it just seems illogical to allow himself to be open and vulnerable to others- so why is he even considering it for an android of all things?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have had a writing block for like a year and a half, but I finally wrote this after that long ass hiatus. It's been a long ass while but I really like the fandom, so yep. Just fair warning this might just stay a one-shot. If there is any warning that you wish for me to add then feel free to tell me. Tw: cursing, and like wires are messed with cause they are androids but not with any foreplay or anything like that.

After working in the police department for as long as he has, Gavin has developed a certain rhythm for his daily routine. His entire life practically revolves around his working life with his cases always being at the forefront of his mind. The only responsibilities he truly cares about being: the oath he made to his community to protect and serve and his cats. At the moment, there is nothing overly complicated about his life, except, of course, the walking computers that make his life a living nightmare. The glorified toaster's presence is enough to throw a wrench in his general mood, which already happens to be in shambles.

Gavin groans, as he blindly gropes his bedsheets, searching for the small abomination that emanates the wretched song that had once been his favorite. Once he manages to get his hands on his phone and silence the alarm, Gavin looks at the clock and a tired curse leaves his lips. It is the same thing every day. Having set his alarm for the very last minute, Gavin cannot afford to even hit the snooze button once if he wants to make it on time for work. Reluctantly, he rolls off of his bed and rushes through his routine of- brushing his teeth in the shower to save time, turning on the television as background noise as he changes, and serving breakfast for his cats and himself. Gavin digs into his simple bagel with cream cheese, as he watches a segment about the struggles that androids are undergoing to secure their rights- it makes his eyes roll to the back of his head. _Those plastic pricks aren’t even alive, are you fucking kidding me,_ Gavin thinks.

As the robotic messiah appears on the screen, Gavin chooses to shift his focus to his cats. One of the four, pushing the others aside to eat out of their bowls as well. ”Hey, asshole,” Gavin says to his greediest cat, Heathcliff. “Let them eat too. You’ve already eaten more than your damn share.” When the cat refuses to listen to him, Gavin bends down to pick him up and throws him off to the side. The black cat looks back at him and meows with apparent disdain. Gavin levels him with a look. “Don’t use that tone with me, Heath. You’re the one in the wrong here.” Heathcliff seems to make one last snipped comment towards him before strutting off- probably already planning his revenge. It is enough to make Gavin let out a small laugh around the rim of his coffee mug. 

Once more the sound of his alarm blares across his small apartment, setting him into motion. He puts his dishes into the sink for later, before taking one last look at the impassioned speech of RK200. His finger remains on the power button for a second, before mentally applauding the human that he knows without a doubt is working behind the scenes to create the moving words. Whoever it is controlling the android messiah like a puppet and by extension, the rest of the tin cans, deserves a massive raise. Without another thought towards the subject, Gavin shuts off his television and walks out the door with a hasty goodbye to his cats.

The drive to the station is uneventful, but it does not stop the nagging feeling that something is wrong. However, regardless of how many times he double-checks, there does not seem to be anything amiss. As he parks his motorcycle in the police department's garage, Gavin ignores the set of cops loitering in the area and just like everyone who even remotely knows about him they avoid him in return. Gavin is well aware of his reputation. He knows that he is the department’s residential asshole- and he is shameless in embracing his role. Gavin walks into the station like he owns the place. With the number of cases he has solved and his success percentage being off the roof, he knows that he is a damn good detective- maybe not the best person, but it is enough for him to get the job done. He could give a rat's ass about what anyone else thinks of him anymore. 

Everyone in the building moves out of his way, as he walks towards his desk. He is used to the large breadth of space, but there is something off about the amount of it today- like they are giving him more than usual. It makes him wonder what he is missing; everyone looks at him like he is about to go off at the next person that crosses him. And to be honest, the android police units that mingle about in the station might be the ones that he has set his eyes on as easy targets; however, there are bigger fish to fry. His eyes settle onto the desk of a former android hater like himself, Lieutenant Hank Anderson. The seat is still empty, meaning that the drunk is still out like a light and won’t be in until the afternoon. What surprises him more than anything is that the plastic asshole playing detective is nowhere in sight.

“Reed!” A voice booms through the precinct, grabbing everyone’s attention. “Get your ass in here, Now!” Fowler shuts the door behind himself without waiting for any sort of response. There are a handful of people that can go toe to toe with Gavin’s asshole attitude and Captain Fowler’s no-nonsense attitude is a real contender- which is one of the reasons that Gavin can respect him. Gavin even decides to kick his ass into gear and move towards the glass office in the center of the precinct without taking a quick detour to grab his second-morning coffee. If he is lucky, he'll be assigned another case that will bring him one step from getting his well-deserved promotion. 

“You wanted to see me, Captain,” Gavin starts, as he walks into the office. He stands in the center of the room in front of Fowler’s desk, waiting for any instruction. Fowler does know how to exert his power even in the smallest ways, trying to make him squirm with the way that he reads a report on his computer as opposed to addressing him right away. However, Gavin is good at playing this game. He waits quietly until Fowler is ready to acknowledge him and give him his next assignment.

Red flags start to rise when Fowler pushes a button and the glass walls start to fog up. Gavin crosses his arms and narrows his eyes, as the Captain's exhales a deep and tired breath.

“Effective immediately, you’re being assigned a partner, Detective Reed,” Fowler says, crossing his fingers and resting his chin on them. Fowler’s expression is hardened like a solid rock, which makes the whirlwind of emotions inside of Gavin swirl even stronger.

Gavin feels completely blindsided, but he knows that Fowler is bracing himself for a thunderstorm- so he takes a deep breath, trying to be logical. “What the fuck, Captain,” he starts. “I’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve closed a shit ton of cases just this month. Fuck, I’m doing even better than that Anderson asshole did before he went off the rails. With all due respect, sir, I don’t need a fuckin’ partner.”

“This isn’t a punishment, Reed,” Fowler says exasperatedly, “They teach you in fucking kindergarten that everyone needs to play nice, yet you seem to have a massive fucking problem with displaying even the bare minimum of human decency. And, you know what, that isn’t even the main reason. You need to understand that there are real dangers with androids becoming deviants, crimes regarding androids are no longer tied with pretty little bows- deviants are not bound by their techno jumbo regulations that stopped them from hurting humans-”

“Why does that matter?!” Gavin interrupts, “I know how to fucking handle myself and all the damn dangers this job entails, I signed up for this shit. What the hell is having another person going to do to help my odds? If anything they will slow me down.” He thinks about his last partner and a new breath of wind adds to the turbulent storm in him. “I’m not letting another motherfucker fuck me over again. I'm not going to give them that chance. I don’t need a partner to take credit for my shit. AGAIN. It isn’t happening!”

“You must be confused, Detective. This is not up for debate,” Fowler says through gritted teeth. Gavin can see a vein start to form on his forehead, a few more minutes and their conversation will soon turn into a screaming match. “I am fucking informing you, as your Captain, your fucking superior, that: You. Are. Getting. A. Fucking. Partner!”

Gavin crosses his arms over his chest; he knows when the battle is lost. Usually, he would cuss tirelessly, regardless of the futility, but even he knows that this has been a long time coming. He is surprised that it did not happen sooner. Gavin feels his blunt nails dig into the sleeves of his hooded leather jacket, as he finally concedes. “Fine, fucking fine. Who’s the fucker going to be?”

There is a heartbeat of silence, which is almost deafening. Fowler leans back into his chair, rubbing his temples, pressing a button on his phone. Gavin stands there patiently, his heartbeat speeding up in his chest. It makes him feel like there is an incoming attack. He feels like a cornered animal caged inside the four glass walls being held in place by Fowler’s hard stare. He feels like he might just throw a punch into the wall to relieve his pent up frustration, but he keeps his feet firmly planted in place. Gavin tries to keep his shit together as he sees blurred figures on the other side of the fogged door- three of them. There is a mechanical knock on the other side of the door and seemingly bracing himself Fowler admits them into the room with a stern, “Come in.”

The first thing through the door is that fucker, Connor, straight as a rod as he walks into the room with Hank Anderson practically glued to his ass. For the first time in years, Gavin notices that there is no scent of alcohol lingering on the Lieutenant. He might have been happy if the man had not been more of a menace then him and kept on the payroll despite having fallen to shit and dragged everyone down with him. To believe that he had once looked up to the man, but man, how the mighty fall.

Gavin glares at Connor, which is ignored and in turn, the android gives him a very fake polite smile. It makes his stomach flip in disgust, whoever designed the android fucked up. From what he's gathered from his observation of the thing, during the revolution and its admission into the police department, is that it had definitely not been designed to be a deviant hunter. It has too many social protocols in place for it to have been designed just for detective work. Now, an android meant for infiltration, to gain the blind trust of some idiots through its unthreatening nature and then finish their mission by betraying that gained trust; That seems to fall in line with the features of the damn machine in front of him. A fucking backstabbing hunting machine. But, Gavin has already tried to warn everyone else on the force yet no one believes him. Fowler even told him to leave the subject alone or turn in his badge- and he did, just for that reason, not in fear of another beating from Connor.

Gavin is too busy glaring at the pair walking in front of him that he almost forgets to look back at the third individual. Once he looks, his heart is justified in almost beating out of his chest. Gavin almost feels like he gets whiplash, from his head shooting back from Connor and his damn twin. His mind reels from the discovery. Connor is a prototype- it is supposed to be one of a fucking kind, the last of his kind. Cyberlife shouldn’t be producing any more of the plastic shits. He reads the new thing's damn jacket and it is there as clear as day- RK900. A FUCKING UPGRADE. Gavin would make fun of Connor; laugh in his face as he tells him that he’ll finally know how it’s like to live with the constant fear of being replaced at any moment- but then again Connor is not really alive to feel any of that so moot point. At least he would be able to piss off Hank by making fun of his pet. However, all of those thoughts fade when he connects the dots in his head. “OH. FUCK. NO.”

“Here we go. Round two,” Fowler says rolling his eyes, evidently exhausted. The easiest route he finds to informing Gavin is by reciting a well-rehearsed speech from memory. “Deviant criminals are not to be taken lightly. Depending on the make and model of the android, they could literally rip humans apart- and you’re no exception Reed. Therefore, moving forward with these changes regarding inclusiveness and safety precautions it has been decided that every human officer is to be paired up with an android.”

“BULLSHIT. FOWLER!” Gavin hollers. “This is just a means to get theses plastic assholes to replace all of us. You’re weeding us out. Don’t you see what’s happening here?!” Gavin feels everyone’s eyes on him. It is not an unfamiliar feeling for him; For the longest time, he has managed to get the attention of his peers by being a loud and abrasive asshole. His yelling is probably the reaction that they have all been expecting from him and he is not going to disappoint. He can feel his tirade build-up in momentum with every passing moment that he stands amidst the pair of androids that are practically a slap to the face for all his hard work. “You’re going to let this piece of plastic have the job when he’s fresh off the manufacturing belt. What about all of those guys out there who have been doing this for years. Training, studying, working hard, doing all that they can to EARN the fucking job and you’re just gonna hand it to this Shit?!”

Before Fowler can rip him a new one, the new RK900 unit speaks up. Its voice is similar to Connor’s, except a little bit deeper and different in a way that Gavin cannot place. “I am inclined to agree with Detective Reed’s assessment to a degree, Captain Fowler.” It begins in a completely monotone voice, standing with its perfect posture and staring ahead with its blue eyes- clearly too perfect to be human. His presence oppressive and demanding respect, it makes Gavin huff out a breath of annoyance. He is barely restraining himself from swinging at the damn tower of android and it does not get better as Rk900 continues to speak. “It would be nonsensical to assign this position to an android or anyone who does not fulfill the requirements for the job. However, I find it imperative to inform Detective Reed about my functions, since he seems to be under the impression that I am a model that does not meet the necessary qualifications for this position.”

For the first time since he has met the hunk of junk, the android turns towards him to give him his full attention- and Gavin puffs out his chest at the domineering attitude of the android. “I am an Rk900 unit, designed to be a compatible partner for investigations, interrogation, and general integration. I share many of the same features with my prototype model, RK800, along with many of the most recent upgrades provided by the techs in Cyberlife. I am the strongest, fastest, and most resilient Android made up to date, and as coined from what would have been my main selling point: ‘a real-time walking crime lab.’” It takes an imposing step towards him, so it is practically hovering over him. “I am not a babysitter… or a housekeeping model. I do not need to earn my place in this department because I have already been made for this job. It would be a waste of resources and time to have me perform tasks below my capabilities to try and satisfy your need for personal validation.”

There is a moment of silence that fills the room, which is interrupted by Gavin grabbing onto the lapels of Rk900’s ridiculous white jacket, pulling him down to his level. If anything RK900 humors him by even moving, probably not registering him as a threat or for the sake of his clothing. Either way, Gavin has to quiet the annoying voice in his mind that points out that he is the shortest one in the room, that the rest of them towering a couple of inches on top of him- the stupid behemoths. He sees the slightest movement around them. Connor seemingly squirming in his spot with his hands held up the very picture of non-threatening, but Gavin knows better than to underestimate him. Hank watches nonchalantly but his hands are uncurled from their usual crossed position- probably ready to act at any moment. Fowler for his part continues to watch the scene in front of him, as he reaches into one of his filing cabinets to grab a sheet of paper, probably an incident report to add to his nearly clean file- which is just a short poem in comparison to Hank’s trilogy. Regardless, it is all background noise, as he glares at the android.

“Listen, Terminator,” Gavin hisses, feeling his fingers curl into the fabric of the android’s clothing. “You think that you’re tough shit. That you have all the information stored in that fake ass brain of yours, but you’re just fucking green. You don’t have the experience that I do in the field, and I’ll be damned before I help a fucking droid steal my job.” Gavin refuses to lose the staring contest he has against the tin man in front of him, “And I can handle my own against a droid, sir,” Gavin continues. When the thing in front of him opens its mouth to probably say some smart ass comment from its asshole algorithm, Gavin let’s go of the thing’s jacket. He punches the back of its neck with one strike to pop open a panel and Gavin wastes no time in pulling on the wires haphazardly.

RK900, the strongest, fastest, and most resilient asshole falls like a damn tree- and it is immensely satisfying. Gavin cannot contain his laugh as he sees the android flounder on the floor, wiping his blue-stained hand against his leather jacket- it will be disappearing soon along with this whole nightmare situation. Conor rushes towards his clone, setting him on his lap while he starts to mess with the wire that Gavin had pulled. Hank is already storming towards him, and Gavin has to admit he is sort of intimidating, but he has never been one to back down. Instead, he takes a step forward to come chest to chest with the drunk.

A slam on the table stops the impending brawl that would have ensured. Fowler heaves with both hands on the abused desk, his patience having been maxed out as he yells, “Either agree to be partnered up with the fucking android, or turn in your badge, Detective Reed.”

Gavin stands like a deer in headlights, as he tries to understand what he just heard. After everything that he has just seen Fowler is still adamant about assigning him the bot. It’s not like he has a lot of options. He might be bluffing. Gavin knows he can’t exactly fire him, considering all of those that left after the revolution and his amazing track record. However, it is not like Gavin has anywhere to go if he is forced to resign and based on the crazed look in his eyes. He knows that Fowler is not in the mood for the third round of discussion. Gavin would rather not uproot his whole fucking life over an android. If push came to shove, he would get the nuts and bolts to simply ask to be reassigned. So he bites the bullet with a “Fucking Fine.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at that, I actually managed to write another chapter for this. I'm still a little bit rusty, so yep. Gavin is a real asshole and he curses as much as I do- which is to say way too much. Anyways, if there are any tags that you wish me to add just tell me and it will be done. Enjoy!  
> TW: cussing, mentions of rk1k, and anxiety.

There is a certain level of comfort from being able to hold his ground, to live up to his reputation, to show everyone that: Detective Gavin Reed is not a goddamn a pushover. Gavin might have walked out of the office with a partner in tow, but he had not gone down without a fight. Fowler’s thunderous screams still ring in his ears, as he walks towards through the bullpen; but it is worth it. He can feel the weight of the entire department’s stares at the back of his neck, hear their hushed whispers when they believe him out of earshot- and for him, it is just another Monday at the office. He does not to be a detective to deduce that they are all gossiping about him, placing bets on how long he can keep his job with his horrible attitude- but they can all go to hell. If there is one thing that Gavin cares about it's his job- and he is fucking good at it. He’ll be damned before he admits defeat at the hands of an android and allow himself to be showed up. There is no way-no fucking way. He refuses to be replaced, especially by a hunk of metal. He isn’t disposable. He has earned his place in the department. Even if he has an infamous reputation, it does not matter; He gets fucking results.

As Gavin walks through the precinct, he holds his head high and exudes as much of his asshole confidence possible with every step. His bravado has never failed him- and he doubts it ever will. It has become second nature for him to uphold; his bravado becoming the crutch he leans on when he feels his stomach tie itself in knots. Especially useful for those moments when he cannot stop his mind from revisiting the same thoughts, over and over again. It reminds him of his powerlessness and the uncertainty of his future. Gavin can still feel his hands shaking from the adrenaline of the encounter and he shoves them deep into his jacket pockets to obscure them from view. His fairly short walk composed of his mind unwarrantedly revisiting some of the same points of the conversation; making him wonder if there could have been something different that he could have said or done. It is maddening. Gavin clenches his hands into a tight fist, reminding himself that he cannot fall apart; Not yet, not when all eyes are on him. Looking for a distraction, he decides that getting himself a second-morning coffee should calm his nerves.

Upon entering the breakroom, Gavin spots Officer Tina Chen, sitting on a stool with two coffees resting in front of her. They exchange a quick greeting. A dip of the head accompanied by a professional sounding: “Officer Bitch.”

And Tina’s returned, “Detective Asshole.”

The impending feeling of doom eases off his back at the welcoming sight. His tense muscles all relaxing as he approaches the table. “So, I’m guessing you heard.” He says, as Tina wordlessly pushes one of the coffee towards him. The offering earns her a smile- a gesture Gavin reserves for people like her. Taking a tentative sip of the hot beverage, Gavin immediately changes his mind; Smiles are now exclusively reserved for Tina-Master-of-Making-Shit-Coffee-Taste-Good-Chen. “Bless your fucking soul, Chen.” Gavin praises, relishing in the bitter taste. “You really know how to make a great fucking coffee. You have no idea how much I needed this today.”

“And, why exactly would that be?” Tina asks, finding a good opening to start nosing into his busniess. “It wouldn’t have something to do with Connor 2.0 or the screamfest you had in Fowler's office, would it?”

Gavin internally winces, having expected her to back off just a little while longer- maybe allow him the small mercy of finishing his coffee. Instead, she goes straight for the jugular. Her eyes sparkle with unmasked interest, contrasting the ruthlessness that hides beneath her cute exterior. Gavin had once seen her knock out a perp, twice her size, by practically flipping his ass like a pancake with one of those moves that come straight from an action movie. It had been one of the many trademark ‘Tina badass moments’ that he had ever had the honor of witnessing. However, with the curiosity that emanates from Tina, Gavin feels like he is about to get his ass handed to him if he refuses to give in to her demands. Gavin sincerely pities any perp who has been on the receiving end of the look, considering that they do not get the water-downed and tame version like he does cause he’s Tina’s… work associate. It is an odd thought; his relationship with Tina. They are not friends. They just talk and joke with each other on occasion, mostly on their breaks- but he knows that they are not friends. She is just one of the few who can tolerate him for more than a minute. Plus, why would she ever consider someone like him a friend?

“Hey, come on,” Tina says, shoving his shoulder and bringing him out of his thoughts. “Spill the tea already.”

“Spill the tea?” Gavin repeats, a mocking laugh bubbling in his throat. “Really, Chen? Way to show your fucking age. You want me to pull them receipts out too?”

Tina pouts, drinking her own coffee. “Whatever. You understood the reference, so you’re old as shit too, Asshat.”

Gavin hums, not dignifying that comment with a response. He puts his coffee on the table, playing with the rim of the disposable cup by tapping his fingers against it- anything to distract him from Tina’s insistent jabs against his side. With a tired sigh, Gavin drops his head, mumbling a: “Not yet.” He is still not ready. He does not want to face the music that he is going to be partnered with an android just yet. Just for a while longer he wants to live in denial about it- not admit it aloud and make it real. The tired request seems to earn him a few merciful moments of silence, in which he changes the topic.

Gavin lifts his head, adjusting his footing as he continues to lean against the table; Wanting to lighten the mood, Gavin deflects to his favorite breakroom game. “Conspiracy theory,” he says, seeing Tina roll her eyes but nevertheless humor him by giving Gavin her full attention. ”Connor is just a puppet. Controlled by the Cyberlife executives to make sure that they stay in control of their walking and talking investments.”

Tina clicks her tongue before a Cheshire smile emerges on her face. “Counter conspiracy theory,” Tina says, waiting until Gavin takes another sip of his coffee. “Markus convinced Connor to switch sides and join the deviant’s cause by rocking his world with that cyberlife D.”

Gavin spits out his coffee. Out of all the nonsense to ever come out of Tina’s mouth that had to take the cake- and he cannot stop himself from laughing his head off. Tina grins, clearly proud of her work. “That’s fucking disgusting, Chen.” Gavin manages to says in between laughs, shaking his head and scrunching his nose in disgust. “How do you even come up with this shit?” He grabs a napkin from one of the dispensers to wipe away the coffee spilled on his face and then on the table. He should probably give it a more thorough wiping with a wet paper towel, but it’s not like anyone will confront him about it. The only person who would ever tell him anything about anything would be Tina and she seems pretty satisfied with his half-assed cleaning. Once Gavin finishes, he shudders. “I can’t express enough, how much, I didn’t need that image in my life.”

“Tough shit,” She responds without a single hint of remorse. She shifts in her seating, crossing her legs and turning towards him. The epitome of a woman that means business. “So, now that we have that out of the way. Why don’t you give me the juicy details of this morning’s meeting?”

Gavin rubs his face. He really wishes that Tina would let it go, but she is like a dog with a bone. Fucking relentless. Then again, if he wanted to be around someone more patient and considerate he wouldn’t have pushed them all away. At least with Tina, he knows that she would always speak her mind with no hidden intentions- just blunt, brash, and honest- and he would not prefer it any other way. Except for now, when he feels one step away from falling apart. With a deep breath, he steels himself. “The walking toaster, RK900, is my new partner.”

At that moment, Gavin swears he hears the jeopardy song play somewhere in the depth of Tina’s mind as she processes the information. Her face completely neutral, until the catchy chime ends- and then, it hits her. “Holy fucking shit! Are you serious?” She nearly screams, “You! You’re getting paired up with an android, a flipping android detective!”

“Yeah,” Gavin says, wishing that he could just disappear. “Fowler gave me this bullshit spiel and a fucking ultimatum. Now, I have to work with one of those things. I don’t even know what I am going to do.”

“My condolences, Gavin,” Tina says, knowing well how much Gavin hates androids. “Listen, just try to make the best out of this. Just use him and lose him, you know. Work him to your convenience, I mean, if he doesn’t help your case, then he’ll be assigned elsewhere.” She looks at the clock, before sighing. “I’ve gotta get going and so do you, but seriously, you can do this.” As she throws away her cup. She turns back around. “Also, just a head’s up, I’m going enter the betting pool. The one that Chris set up for the reason that you were yelling bloody murder for this morning and I’m treating you to dinner with the winnings. It’ll be me, you, and Maxine.”

As she walks out of the breakroom Gavin huffs out an endearing, “What a bitch,”.

And with the hearing capabilities that could rival an android, Tina pops her head back through the threshold to say, “Damn right I am. And you fucking love it”

The response gives him another reason to laugh. Once he regains himself, Gavin realizes his solitude. Despite the noise of phones going off in the distance, people bustling in the bullpen- he is left to his own devices and in that path lies his undoing. The anxiety which had been kept at bay with his conversation with Tina makes its second appearance of the hour. He nurses his cup of coffee, silently wondering what he did in his life to garner such a harsh punishment. Gavin knows that he deserves some shit, but being paired with the machine of the century seems like overkill. Deciding that he has avoided his work for long enough, he chugs the rest of his coffee and savors the burning sensation. He crumples up the cup and throws it into the trash bin on the way out of the breakroom. The moment he vacates the general area, Chris Miller and a handful of his other coworkers rush into the room. Not at all discreet about avoiding him at all costs. They still whisper behind his back, still trying to piece together the puzzle of the morning’s commotions; He guesses that Tina will make a pretty buck with the insider information that he has provided for her.

The few officers near their terminals, mingling with one another, stop talking the moment that he walks past them. It would be bothersome if he did not have to deal with it on a daily basis. The normality of the shunning almost manages to quell his thoughts, but then, he sees it. Sitting in the terminal beside his own, RK900 makes itself at home by doing that freaky interfacing thing with its second-cousin twice removed. The android’s black plating exposed down to the fingertips, different from the usual white, as it rests against the screen with various files flashing through it. Gavin can see RK900’s LED spin a calm and neutral blue as it probably downloads, processes, and organizes dozens of files. The large load of data probably not even enough to make its processors stutter, seeing as RK900 is simultaneously having a casual conversation with Connor. It is annoying seeing how efficient the machine is when it would take him days, maybe even months, to go through the same amount of information- and the thing can just magically have it all transported into its mind.

There is an odd sense of vindication at having reduced Cyberlife’s latest creation to a twitching heap of metal on the floor by pulling on some wires. It makes Gavin thankful that he had decided to review android anatomy and physiology after getting his ass handed to him by Connor. At the time, he might have overestimated his own fighting capabilities against a military-grade android. Considering the large gap of strength between RK series androids and the daily household model, then he had definitely bit off more than he can chew against the tank of a prototype. Therefore, if he had to lock himself in his apartment every day after work to review and learn about the slightest flaws in all their designs it would only serve to even out the playing field. Just one tap to the right place and they will fall apart.

Without a falter in his stride, Gavin approaches his desk to start tying up any nonexistent loose ends in his cases, before he receives any new assignment. Having worked in Detroit as long as he has, Gavin knows it won’t be long before another homicide case falls in his lap. Once Connor acknowledges his approach, the prototype slides off the desk edge that he had been perched upon and gives RK900 a seemingly encouraging pat on the shoulder. The sham of a gesture is joined with one of Connor’s awkward smiles, which is not the worst one that Gavin has seen to date but still holds that eerily mechanical property to it. RK900 acknowledges it all by barely inclining its head- not pausing its data search for a split second. By the time Gavin takes a seat, Connor has already hightailed it to the safety of the other side of the bullpen, where Anderson is glaring daggers at him which Gavin responds to by smirking and flipping him off.

Not wanting to deal with the plastic asshole, Gavin adjusts himself to make sure that the thing is out of his field of vision- resting his hand on his chin and leaning forward on his desk. Despite trying to ignore the machine, Gavin can still feel the thing’s eyes on him, watching him silently; it makes his skin crawl. It is unnerving to know that the piece of shit is probably scanning him at the moment, taking into account even the slightest of movement, cataloging him like some sort of project- but, like fuck is he going to speak to it. Inputting his password and waiting for his profile to load, Gavin’s eyes trail back to the sight behind his screen, at Connor. The sight makes his nose wrinkle in disgust; Watching as Connor dotes on Anderson, acting all chummy with the drunk who used to be more despised then himself. It is sickening. Connor has been a so-called “deviant” ever since he returned from helping the revolution take off, but Gavin knows that it is all a fraud, probably a ploy for Cyberlife to remain in control of androids from behind the scenes. His counterpart, the latest android off the conveyor belt, being proof of the company’s continuous operations. _In the end, they’re all fucking tools- in every sense of the word._

Checking his inbox and cases, Gavin curses his luck. Fowler must have done it on purpose. There is nothing. Not even a single I to dot or t to cross in his paperwork. If Gavin had to put his detective skills to work, he would guess that Fowler had arranged for his cases to go elsewhere in an attempt to force him to interact with the plastic. But if Fowler really thinks that this will work, then he must be losing his touch. Gavin, like most sane humans, is not going to complain about getting paid to just sit around. He is more than willing to indulge in the extra free time provided; However, most people, probably do not have a menacing looking android watching them intently with its cold, blue eyes. Apparently, the last straw for the android, which makes it break the tentative silence between them, is when Gavin pulls out his phone from his pocket to begin playing a random game.

“Detective Reed,” Rk900 says in a neutral tone. “Seeing as we have no cases, this seems like the most opportune moment to inform you that I will not be filing suit for your earlier actions in Captain Fowler’s office. As per my predecessor’s recommendations, it would be beneficial for the sake of this partnership’s effectiveness to simply move past this morning’s events in order to forge a better working relationship. However, this will be the last time that I will allow such outbursts to go unanswered.”

Gavin looks up from his phone and gives the walking computer an unimpressed look, before returning to his game.

The silent treatment does not seem to get through to the android, who continues speaking in its monotone voice. “While you were conversing with Officer Chen in the breakroom, I took the liberty to go over your past cases. I must say it is quite an impressive track record for a human.”

“Wow,” Gavin says, dropping his phone onto his lap to slow clap for the android. “Talk about a textbook backhanded compliment. Congratulations, Tin Can, you’re a real piece of shit.” Gavin goes back to his game, intending to end the conversation there- but the phrase continues to echo through his mind. He does not even realize that he is muttering it under his breath, as he plays another round. “Impressive for a human.” He scoffs, getting himself riled up. “What the fuck do you mean for a human? Who else has a better rate than me?”

“Currently, no one.” RK900 informs slowly, seemingly having expected his outburst, “Although, Connor and Lieutenant Anderson are quickly closing the gap.”

Gavin rolls his eyes, forgetting his lost game to spin in his chair to glare at the android. “Well, they’re going to be playing catch up for a long ass time, because there’s no way in hell that they’re ever going to reach me.”

“Us.” Rk900 corrects, watching the finger that Gavin has started pointing at him. “According to my calculations, if we optimize our partnership to its full potential, then we should have no problem proving your statement correct.”

“Great. Then let me tell you how we can fully optimize our partnership.” Gavin says as he leans back on his chair to rest his feet on his desk. He strains his legs to reach past the division of their terminals, so his feet can push against some of the miscellaneous objects that Connor had sprinkled on RK900’s desk to make it look like the machine has some sort of personality. The damn android leans forward, like the perfect teacher’s pet, awaiting Gavin’s proposed method of productivity- which makes it all the more satisfying to crush with: “You can start off by shutting the fuck up and leaving me the fuck alone. I don’t need your fake ass for jack shit, so stop talking like this bullshit partnership is going to last longer than a week. No fucking android is going to tell me what to do.”

The venom in his voice would be more than enough to push anyone away; it has worked a million times before, but this time the android just stares at him. The LED on the side of its head-turning a vibrant yellow, not even a red at his tone, and only for a split second. “Your animosity seems wildly misdirected, Detective Reed. I have done nothing to warrant such a reaction,” RK900 explains, calmly and rationally. RK900’s posture does not shift drastically if anything, the only show of its synthetic annoyance is the slight clenching of its jaw. “You are being entirely irrational, Detective, considering my oversight of your fit during our introductions.”

It pisses Gavin off. Rk900s cool-tone only manages to bring Gavin’s blood to a boil. “Oh, fuck off! You’re acting like I should give a fuck that you won’t press charges against me, asshole. The worst you could’ve done is to make me pay a fucking fine! And I bet you wouldn’t be able to even make that shit stick!” Gavin crosses his arms over his chest with his nails, gripping into his arms. “You’re just some abandoned toy from Cyberlife. There’s not even an owner for me to pay recompense to. So yeah. Thanks for nothing, Plastic shit.” Gavin can feel his heartbeat run wild with the conversation that Gavin has personally blown out of proportion. He just needs to push a little bit harder and he might get the plastic prick to ask for a new partner; Shit, if he pushes the right buttons he might even get the thing to leave the precinct by the end of his shift- maybe it’d find a better-suited job as a porn bot at the Eden Club and make a good living.

“Detect-” RK900 starts- still cold, still emotionless, and still robotic- completely unbothered.

The lack of a response, the calm blue of its LED spurs his tirade further. A maniac laugh emerging from his lips. “You’re a fucking machine. You don’t need any fucking rights. Fuckin bullshit with all this deviancy talk. You aren’t ali-”

Before he can finish his sentence, RK900 shoots forward in its seat and grabs his resting feet with one hand, then he pushes him back.

“PHCK!”

Gavin flails for a little bit, failing to grab purchase on anything. The wheels on his chair do not help, and he slides away from his desk and any place to grasp. He gets a clear view of the ceiling before his head makes contact with the hard floor. To make it all worse, Gavin lands awkwardly on his hand. The sting that rises up his arm not being a very promising feeling, but he’s had worse. By the time Gavin gathers himself from the shock of the fall, RK900 stands in front of him, having walked around the terminals. The android offers him a hand and Gavin refuses the help, slapping the hand away. Gavin moves to push himself onto his feet, but the android roughly grabs his forearm. It pulls him close, so close that Gavin can feel its synthetic breath against the shell of its ear, as it practically hisses. “I will indulge you one last time, Detective Reed, by reminding you that the incident in Fowler’s room would be the last that I would leave your actions unanswered. From here on, I will not tolerate your tantrums any further.” Having made its point, RK900 drags him onto his feet in tandem with itself. Gavin can feel the strength of the iron grip, which feels like it left a bruise.

As they both stand in front of each other, Gavin is still held in RK900’s grip. There are already some choice words ready to fly through his mouth. Gavin's neck bends back as he looks up at the android, looking into those stupid intense blue, grey eyes.

The machine beats him to the punch. “You should really be more careful, Detective, and follow appropriate sitting etiquette to prevent future falls in the workplace.” The walking toaster tells him, saying it loud enough for every nosy person in the precinct to hear. Having had everything happen so fast, to everyone around them the fall must have just seemed like Gavin had fallen on his own and not been shoved by the tin can- the fucking asshole! It’s words leave him fuming, setting him up to look like an incompetent fool. However, before the altercation can go any further, it calmly unhands him and informs him that, “We have a case detective, Let’s be on our way.”

Gavin stands for a moment a little dumbfounded, he feels his cheeks burn probably red with the humiliation. He looks around the bullpen and everyone noticed that whole thing, the only ones who had heard RK900’s little admission of war being Connor and himself. Biting his bottom lip, he takes a deep breath through his nose, he manages to quell down all of the emotions that are trying to break him down. Turning back to their terminals to quickly grab some materials for the investigation, Gavin notices the plaque on the android’s desk “RK900 **#313 248 317 - 87** ”. At the sight, Gavin gets an idea. He cannot let this to stay a tie between him and the stupid android, he knows what will do the trick- a fucking low blow.

“Hey!” He shouts to grab the android’s attention at the other side of the bullpen. The thing stops in the middle of its step, standing with its hands behind its back and looking down his nose at him with his stupid hight color and white jacket. Gavin smiles, as he walks up to it, saying, “RK900, register your name.” At the phrase, the android seems to go even stiffer and Gavin smiles- there are just somethings that even malfunctioning androids cannot bypass. A fixed action pattern that one word, one saying, one line of code, can activate- especially from the right person with the right clearance. None of them are alive just anthropomorphic computers.

Standing right in front of it, Gavin lets his voice carry through the entire precinct, so the damn thing will remember its place, giving it a suitable name. “Bitch.”

There is a slight crease in between the thing’s eyebrows, as it unwilling states: “My name is Bitch.”

Gavin smirks, brushing past the android.

Gavin 2- Android 1.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y'all enjoyed it. I still hate my writing with a passion, but whatever it gets the job done. And honestly, who hasn't named their electronic devices something like this- my printer's name is saved as Ass just cause it never wants to cooperate with me.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Here's a longer chapter. Enjoy. (And yes, Gavin will eventually give RK900 a proper name, but he is still calling him Bitch throughout this chapter.)  
> TW: Gavin is a jerk. Smoking. Cussing. First Homicide case. Mentions of drug use and abuse. If you squint there, there is some implication of rape. Death. Inappropriate death jokes? Bullying.  
> If there is anything else that you feel would be appropriate to tag just tell me and it will be so :)

Walking into the precinct, Gavin feels his shoulders tense as he spots RK900 _still_ sitting in the terminal next to his own. Every day for the past week, Gavin has been openly expecting the android to take the hint and request for another partner. He has been throwing his absolute best at the android, ranging from his average asshole personality to breaking out the big guns in pettiness. Yet, the damn emotionless machine remains completely unmoved by his actions and words. It feels like a blow to the gut.

By the third day of any partnership following his first in his rookie days, Gavin has been able to get rid of his unwanted partners with ease. A handful of snide comments about their work’s quality and antagonizing them at every turn usually did the trick- but it is a completely different game with the android. With the high caliber work done by the walking computer, there are no possible remarks to be made. It also always takes Gavin’s hostility in stride, responding with the venom with its own.

It is not surprising that Gavin’s standard methods do not work on the machine. His main form of attack usually focusing on getting under the person’s skin, but RK900’s synthetic skin begs for a change of pace after the easily rebuked attempts to annoy him. Gavin has always been quick on his feet, knows how to adapt well, he just needs some time to figure it out. It will come to him eventually, the best way to get rid of it. 

“Mornin, Bitch,” Gavin greets, as he sits down at his terminal and clocks in. The greeting serves more as a means to rub the android’s assigned name to its face, rather than being nice to it. Gavin lets out a tired sigh, thinking that it would be more rewarding if the android actually simulated giving a single fuck, but it does not.

“Good Morning, Detective Reed.”

Other than the first day Gavin named it, when its LED spun a single yellow ring, there has not been a single response it- no rolling of the eyes, creasing of the eyebrows, or annoyed sigh- just a blank stoic face, as it responds to the name.

Without any other reason to interact with the android, no opening for provocation or teasing, Gavin starts to fill out his reports for their latest assignment An open and shut case. A restaurant robbery in the middle of the night that ended horribly for a waiter. The restaurant’s surveillance had caught the entire crime along with the perp’s face as he ate his meal; To top it all off, a handful of the witnesses personally knew the man. Nothing complicated about it. The case would have been over sooner if the damn machine did not insist on personally documenting the entire crime scene itself. Having found the videotape and talked to the witness, while RK900 wasted time analyzing everything, Gavin had left the android at the scene without a word of his findings.

By the time Gavin had located and handcuffed the perp, RK900 barely arrived at the perp’s residence. Gavin did not apologize for abandoning it and RK900 did not bring it up- unlike past partners when he pulled the same trick. Gavin just gave the android a smug smile, refusing to let it help in shoving the criminal into the patrol car. Before he could drive off without the android for a second time, RK900 smoothly sat on the passenger side. There had been no comments interchanged, just silence. It left Gavin internally fuming, without a reasonable opening to let off steam. But, sometimes irrationally letting the closest person be the outlet for his fury did the trick- and the perp had been the unwilling volunteer during the interrogation. Gavin had not allowed the tin can to get a word in edgewise, as he practically made the perp sing. Ah, good memories.

Mindlessly filling out his paperwork, Gavin barely notices the sound of someone approaching his area of the bullpen. Looking up from his screen, Gavin sees that it is no other than Lieutenant Anderson- and he immediately goes back to work, preferring the tedious paperwork over subjecting his eyes to the monstrosity of Anderson’s outfit. Gavin is actually surprised by the Lieutenant's on-time arrival. For years, the smell of boozes has always alerted Gavin of the Lieutenant's arrival, but it is not there. Looking from the corner of his eye, Gavin realizes that there is no stumble in Anderson’s step- and the smell of whiskey does not waft from his breath when he speaks to RK900. “Hey, kid-”

“Bitch,” Gavin butts in, correcting Anderson as he has for the past week. “Even in your old age, it shouldn’t be that hard to remember.”

“Back off, Reed,” Hank snarls, rounding on him “I don’t know how you fucking did it, but not even Connor can reverse the stupid order. It’s getting really old, real fast.”

“Just like you, old man,” Gavin returns, sending in his report and earning himself a couple of minutes to mess with the hardboiled detective. Gavin grins at the intimidating look Hank sends him, shrugging. “And hey. What can I say? I guess the tin can likes its name so much that it's not willing to let it go.”

The response seems to rile up the Lieutenant even further, his hands balling up into fists. Apparently, Gavin still has not lost his touch. He can still work people up with just a couple of exchanged words- if only it were that easy with the hunk of metal next to him, which smoothly breaks up their argument by stating, “Lieutenant Anderson, there is a low probability that your words or actions will convince Detective Reed to override the distasteful name he has assigned to me. I would recommend not expanding anymore effort on the subject, considering that I have been able to bypass a fragment of my orders to still respond to different forms of address.”

Probably having spent so much time with Connor stuck by his side, Anderson is actually quick on the uptake. “So, you’ll be able to go off of a nickname, rather than just responding to whatever this asshole of the year named you?”

“That is correct.”

“Good. Connor will be glad to hear that.” Anderson says, smiling- and it is damn weird. Gavin averts his eyes from the sight that seems straight from the twilight zone, feeling a weird chill pass over his spine. Hell must have frozen over if Anderson is smiling again- and at an android of all things rather than at a bottle of booze.

“However,” RK900 elaborates. “I must point out that I will only be able to override the order in a verbal conversation and cannot stop my responses to someone using my given name within hearing range.”

“Guess, that’s as good as it's going to get,” Hanks says exhaustedly, rubbing his forehead. “At least until someone decides to grow the fuck up.”

“Whatever, old man.” Gavin antagonizes, checking his phone notifications “I get to play with my toys however the fuck I want. So, why don’t you go back to playing house with yours.”

“You’re a real piece of shit, Reed. There’s no reasoning with you” Hank growls. As he turns back to his conversation with the android, Anderson exhales through his nose and the tension melts from his posture. Looks like someone is taking their anger management lessons to heart. “Anyway, I just wanted to check in on you, RK. After your shift, you can come over to my house and we can talk about getting you a proper nickname.”

“As you wish, Lieutenant,”

With the answer, Hank nods and goes on his way, back to his little pet. Hank sends Gavin one more glare for good measure, which he returns with a shit-eating smile. At the very least, Gavin can still get a reaction from Anderson, making the risk of naming the damn thing worth it. The clearance level that Elijah had gifted him all those years ago still activating with simple voice recognition and still engraved into all android models. Gavin is actually surprised that it still works, considering all of the talks about deviancy and androids overwriting their commands. It just goes to show that androids are all just bits of code, one and zeroes- not actual people like they have been claiming to be in their demonstrations. Having seen them being built from scratch in Elijah’s workshop, Gavin knows well enough what makes them work- and Gavin sure as hell never saw any souls stored in any of Elijah’s containers.

Being lost in his own thoughts, Gavin almost jumps out of his skin when RK900 speaks to him. “I am not your toy, Detective Reed.” It states- and it seems like there are some comments that can irritate the tin man. “I am a state of the art android detective, along with your partner, so I would recommend ceasing your antagonizing behavior and begin cooperating.”

Spinning around on his chair to face him, Gavin resists the urge to rest his feet on his desk- not wanting a repeat from last time. If he remembers correctly their current score rests at 22-21 in his favor, far too close for comfort. “Sure doesn't seem that way, Bitch, Looks like I can treat you, however, the fuck I want and still get results. Just look at the ‘Panda’ case.”

“Panda?” RK900 says, its LED changing from its calm blue as it processes the word. Gavin internally winces at the slip-up, expecting unrestrained mocking and a tie in their score. Gavin has been thinking about the stupid joke all day. It is a miracle he even managed to keep it out of his report, but, of course, it slips out when speaking to an android that records everything. Instead of mocking him, RK900 smiles. It actually fucking smiles at him. Gavin stares in shock as the android's features soften, his lips barely upturning at the edges and eyes crinkling in joy. His usual stoic face becoming more handsome with the micro-expressions that bloom in the short second, as it says, “Very creative, Detective Reed. Much like our perp for that case, Pandas: eat, shoots, and leaves.”

Taken out of his element by the first real show of expression, Gavin struggles to find the right words. A stupid, “yeah” is his only response. He nervously licks his chapped lips, before remembering that it is a machine. Gavin is just projecting onto it, after having it around for a week. He did the same thing to a Roomba years ago. People really are not joking when they say that naming things leads to forming bonds with inanimate objects, even if it is something like Bitch. And thinking better of it, Gavin scowls at the amused android. “Stop that! Don’t fucking start assimilating with me, you plastic shit. I don’t need you to start brown-nosing like your shitty twin.”

“Pardon?” RK900 asks, smile dropping- and there is a small part of him that regrets having it go away.

“I know this game. You fucking android! Don’t pretend to find anything I say funny or interesting just to get closer to me.” Gavin snarls at the android, “You might as well get rid of the ‘Improve Partnership’ from your objectives, asswipe.”

RK900's face holds no past evidence of the smile that had once adorned it. “That hadn’t been my intention, Detective.”

“Bullshit. You really expect me to believe that you found something funny, plastic? Now that’s a good one,” Gavin laughs, waiting for the android to argue.

Apparently, the topic of conversation is too reminiscent of their past ones as it simply hums and begins to interface with its terminal, which annoys the living hell out of Gavin. Gavin is being fucking dismissed. Ignored by a stupid android. Gavin should not be complaining. It is leaving him alone, letting him do his job unbothered like he had demanded- but the android taking the high road and completely dismissing everything that Gavin ever does or says leaves a sour taste in his mouth.

An hour into the silent treatment, Gavin feels the urge to scream. Everyone else at the precinct at least acknowledges his presence when they are avoiding him, checking in on what room he is to steer clear and keeping their ears peeled for his next bout of anger. With the android, he feels like he has completely melded into the background; the stupid thing not caring whether he is there or not, that he taunts him and ridicules him- all of it just sliding off of him like Gavin is not enough of anything to matter,

Gavin clicks his tongue, masking his feelings with a facade of annoyance. A majority of his career he has made it through the day without speaking to anyone in the bullpen and having a partner would do jack shit to change that routine. A twelve-hour shift is a walk in the park for him, even with having skipped breakfast because he forgot to buy groceries for the past few days and having slept a total of three hours due to his insomnia, it is nothing to him.  

Ignoring the growl of his stomach, Gavin jumps into action as he sees the notification pop up on the phone. Without even reading the assignment, Gavin knows that another dead body just rolled into town. He does not talk to the android, as he stands up and heads towards the exit to maybe get to the car before the plastic, so he can leave it behind. However, Gavin hears the clear tapping of its pretentious dress shoes as the damn thing looms a step behind him.

At the elevator to the garage, Gavin can see his chance to get a head start on the thing. With the door closing, Gavin can just about squeeze through while the damn thing would just have to wait for the next one to access the underground garage- the stairs having been left a ways away, during the precinct’s reconstruction years ago. Even an android would not be able to beat him to the underground levels by using them.

As Gavin takes a step to rush into the elevator, he gets pulled back by his hoodie. The elevator goes on without him as he stumbles in regaining his balance, He seethes, turning around to look at the culprit, but RK900 calmly walks past him to push the elevator button going down. His nonchalant attitude almost making Gavin think that he might have just tripped on his own feet and not been tugged backward like a dog on a leash. He grinds his teeth, holding back from making a scene out of it. If RK900 wants to keep playing the quiet game, then Gavin is more than willing to contend. Either way, the machine’s calm demeanor would just make him feel like a child begging for attention with their tantrums- and OUCH, too close to home.

When the next elevator arrives, Gavin shoulder checks the android, which ends up being more painful for him- having basically walked into a metal rod. He resists the urge to nurse his shoulder as he leans against the back of the elevator wall. He reaches into his jacket pockets, feeling the pack of cigarettes that he keeps on his person. It has been a while since his last smoke. He has been trying to wean off the bad habit, but Gavin can feel himself itching for a smoke more often than not with the added stress of having an android bloodhound on his tail.

As RK900 beats him to the punch by getting into the driver’s side, Gavin decides to screw his progress. It's not like he is going to make it to a ripe old age anyway; he’d give himself twenty more years at best- and hopefully, he’d be able to rest in the grave sooner. So he lights up.

Sitting on the passenger side, Gavin rolls down the windows. By the time RK900 pulls out of the garage, Gavin holds his cigarette in one hand and reads the assignment on his phone with the other: a dead body wrapped in plastic by the side of the river. Sounds better than all the cases he’s had all week; it might actually require some detective work.

Once Gavin finishes skimming through the rest of the file, he wins the quiet game against the tin can.

“Detective Reed, smoking remains one of the largest preventable cause of death,” RK900 informs him, sparing him a spare glance at the red light. “It would be advisable to...”

“Advisable this, recommendable that,” Gavin snarks. “Can’t you disable whatever part of your programming that makes you say stupid shit like that? I can make my own fuckin’ choices, tin can… not that you’d know a lot about that.”

“Are you only able to make stupid decisions, Detective Reed?”

“Guess so,” Gavin laughs, taking another drag from his cigarettes and blowing the smoke in the android's face. “But I don't see how that’s any of your business, Bitch.”

As swiftly as everything else that the motherfucker has ever done, it plucks the cigarette from between his fingers and throws it out the window. “Unfortunately, Detective, smoke can lower the efficiency of my processors by point two percent, so it is my business.”  

Gavin feels his nose twitch in annoyance. “That’s littering, you plastic prick.”

“I’m well informed, Detective.”

Gavin shakes his head, guessing that the android really did replace his objective for their working relationships. Feeling particularly self-destructive for the sake of being vindictive, Gavin reaches into his pockets and fishes out another cigarette. Gavin looks at the android, as he puts it between his teeth fully intending to light up. If the android tries to pull the same trick twice, then he would be more than prepared for it. He is even willing to smoke through his entire pack to make a point. Thankfully for his lungs, they make it onto the crime scene before the approaching standoff can come into fruition. With an annoyed huff, Gavin places his unlit cig back into the pack; the plastic’s eyes on him the entire time.

RK900 does not seem particularly content, or anything, as he exits the vehicle. It takes one deep breath before Gavin even feels ready to work alongside his partner. He no longer needs to be a good detective, he needs to be even better than the plastic pricks that have been designed in a lab without having suffered what he has to get into his position.

Walking out of the vehicle, Gavin moves past the awaiting RK900 and the yellow strip. He flashes his badge with practiced ease at the android police model standing there. It appears that they are one of the first at the scene, people still scoping out the area for clues. Gavin grins, feeling like a kid in a playground- which he guesses seems like a stark contrast to the stoic android at his heels. Shit, how is expected to not lose his shit with the damn thing hovering behind him all the time? He hates the feeling of having someone looking over his shoulder. As Gavin investigates the area, he lets the plastic go off on its own; better than having it on his ass.

After seeing the lack of evidence, around the area, Gavin makes the safe assumption that the body washed up here- so not the site of the crime, but it is always important to cross out any possibilities. As he closes in on the area where the body lies, Gavin sees an android taking pictures of the plastic-covered body- which means that the body is still untouched. A perfectly wrapped and untouched homicide present. Crouching next to the body, Gavin still never understands what other people always go on about that it never gets any easier, because it does. The smell of dead bodies still manages to make his stomach churn, but it is just background noise. Gavin has seen some sick shit in his days. Bodies that have been found weeks after decomposing, mutilated, and violated. While there are have been some homicides more repulsive than others, they all basically have the same thing in common and Gavin barely blinks twice at the horrors that some people- and deviants- are willing to commit.  He really did pick the right profession for his cynical ass.

Gavin reaches into his jean’s pockets, pulling out some latex gloves- better not to contaminate any evidence. He cannot afford a single screw up, especially with people comparing him with an android. Once the android model taking the pictures finishes, Gavin begins to unwrap his present. A shadow falls from behind him and Gavin has become accustomed to the constant looming to know that it is RK900. As he pulls away at the plastic, he gets a mysterious sense that he has seen something like this before, but he does not remember a specific case. It is odd, but he cannot shake the feeling.

Pulling the wrap to the side, he uncovers the body’s face. It’s a girl- probably no more than twenty. A pretty girl- so she has not been in the water for long. There are no signs of decay or bloating, so a very recent murder. Gavin looks away from the body, thinking that the plastic prick can finally prove its worth, “Who is she, tin can?” Gavin asks, knowing about the facial recognition feature. After waiting a moment too long, Gavin loses his patience. “Hey, Bitch,” Gavin says, snapping his fingers. “I’m asking you a fucking question.”

RK900 does not respond to Gavin’s question, instead, it crouches beside him. Before Gavin can antagonize him further, RK900 reaches forwards and swipes at the blood at the corner of the girl’s mouth. Years of seeing some disgusting shit and Gavin nearly loses his stomach when RK900 licks the girl’s blood on his fingers.”Fuck! Bitch, that’s disgusting!” Gavin’s eyes widen, wondering who the fuck thought that having an analysis lab in an android’s fucking mouth would be a good idea. Gavin shivers in disgust, watching RK900’s LED turn a processing yellow- and he feels a little green himself.

“Calm down, Detective. My mouth automatically sanitizes itself after every logged sample” RK900 justifies, turning back to the dead body. There is a slight hesitance before it finally begins to inform Gavin of its findings. “I’m afraid. There is no information available regarding her identity. There are no social media accounts or any other digital record of her existence. She’s completely off the grid.”

“Holy shit. We haven’t had a Jane Doe in fucking years.” Gavin muses. In today’s day and age, where everything revolves around technology, it is basically impossible for anyone to stay off the grid- even Ron Swanson could not accomplish it. Everything on the internet is documented and stored, every selfie and every tagged photo. Gavin’s gut tells him that there is a bigger picture behind it all. He only knows of one other instance, where someone has been able to erase their past and escape all their connections- and that’s him. Elijah had practically done a whole bunch of mumbo jumbo, to completely erase any evidence of their relatedness. Whoever expended the effort to erase the girl from existence must have had one hell of a reason. Maybe, she has ties with some organized crime or something.

“Perhaps cross-referencing her facial features with some of the missing cases would help us identify her, Detective.”

“Yeah, we can look for something recent.” Gavin nods, uncovering the rest of the body. He takes into account the discoloration of the girl’s pale skin, the markings around her wrists, the hand marks clear around her throat, and the obvious lack of clothing. “She was probably held somewhere, getting beaten and then strangled to death, before they dumped her into the river.” Gavin thinks out loud, trying to piece the puzzle together.

“Most of the evidence is consistent with your suspicions.” RK900 says, “However, the cause of death correlates more concisely with the high levels of red ice in her system.”

“Huh, she doesn’t seem like the usual user,” Gavin checks the girl’s arms, searching for any needle points but she finds none on her body- not on her arms or in between her fingers. He has seen thousands of red ice addicts. Gavin knows the telltale by just sparing anyone a look- and this girl has none of their features. He tilts her head upward, looking up into her nose and finally gives in. “Are you sure about this, tin can? I don’t see jack shit on the girl.”

“Affirmative, Detective. There are trace levels in her bloodstream- which other than her blood type is all I’ve managed to deduce from my analysis---”  

RK900 elaborates further on: the extensiveness of the injuries and every biological aspect of her decay. It tells him how she died, but it does not bring them any closer to who or why it happened. Gavin allows the android to double-check her body. With the heavy bruising that is scattered across the body, it would take time for anyone to find the small entrance wound of a needle- even for an android. Hell, without the android, it would have taken weeks of back and forth emails with the forensics team to get even a fraction of what the android is sharing with him. Gavin guesses that there are some perks to having a walking crime lab- even if it does lick the dead, having been designed by some necrophile. By the end of RK900 speech, Gavin has a pretty good picture of the way that the murder occurred and Gavin had not been off the mark.

After a few minutes, Gavin calls it. “I think that’s all we’re getting out of Laura Palmer here. We should let forensics take a look at the body,” Gavin says, standing up from investigating the body- mentally applauding himself for recalling the familiarity of the scene. It is uncanny. And then, a light bulb goes off. “Just a shot in the dark, tin can, but check underneath her fingernails.”

RK900 listens, picking both of her hands up and bringing them closer to its face. Wanting to get a closer look himself, Gavin bends over and rests his hand against the android’s shoulder for balance. Gavin ignores the firmness underneath his fingertips and the human-like warmth that emanates from the machine to focus on the delicate broken appendages. From the looks of it, their Jane Doe had probably attempted to scratch and claw her way out of her predicament. Gavin guesses that the android can see whatever is buried beneath the blood caked underneath her fingernails better than he can since it is not long before RK900 focuses on the girl’s left index finger. “Here it is. You’re correct, Detective.”

Before Gavin can ask another question, RK900 brings the hand closer to his mouth- and Gavin’s stomach cannot handle a second round of the disgusting sight. “Don’t you fuckin dare!” Gavin yells, slapping his free hand on top of the android’s mouth. “Isn’t there another way for you to analyze this shit?!”

RK900 turns its head to the side to stare at Gavin. It gives him a deadpan stare. The longer the moment stretches, the faster the android's eyes drift between the hand pressed against its mouth back to Gavin's eyes. When Gavin remains a stubborn shit, refusing to remove his hand from the android's mouth, RK900 shows its resourcefulness. Instead of prying his hand off, RK900 chooses to produce a hologram on the palm of its freehand. ‘I’m afraid there is no other alternative, Detective Reed.’

Groaning, Gavin releases his hold on the android. He spins around on his heel, refusing to look at the sight. Amidst his row of expletives, Gavin thinks he might have heard a chuckle, but there is no way.

When RK900 is done with analyzing the material underneath her nails, it says, “The composition of the red ice is different from those registered in the DPD. It appears to be a highly concentrated and more potent form of the drug. There is a high possibility that this had been her first and last encounter with red ice.”

“Shit. Are you saying what I think you’re sayin?” Gavin says, turning back around. “A new fucking strain of red ice? Like shit hasn’t hit the fan already with the usual stuff.”

“It would seem so, Detective,” The android confirms, which earns him another storm of curses.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin and RK900 leave the scene, get lunch, and fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty, these chapters are progressively getting longer. So Yay!  
> TW: Gavin being a jerk, Fighting, blood, mind-control stuff, guns, and killings. (Unbeta'd)

The rarity of the case makes Gavin’s mind buzz. It is vastly different from the cases that he has dealt with for the past few years- he cannot even remember the last time he investigated a Jane Doe. It has been a rising phenomenon in android cases, considering that the same models share the same faces and beneath their synthetic skin, they all have identical metal plating. Gavin hears that there are some ways to identify the plastic pricks with their thirium and serial number, but the information never manages to capture his attention longer than a few minutes. The machines are all one of the same- it is not like it really matters in the end. An android is an android, worthless and indistinguishable. Anderson and Connor can take all of those cases; he does not want them within a mile of himself.

A human Jane Doe is a completely different story. The probability of the girl sharing her face with a doppelganger is significantly smaller- a real individual rather than a dispensable clone. The detective part of him bubbles with excitement at the added mystery of the red ice in her system. Despite the tragedy of the situation, Gavin knows that this case could really help him with his career if he manages to solve it.

Walking back to the patrol car, Gavin passes by some of the other officers inspecting the scene. Extra hands that are meant to catalog the information and keep any unwanted eyes away from the scene. Gavin is only stopped once on his departure by Detective Ben Collins. “Anything interesting?” The old man asks, serious yet uninvested in his question, as he flips through his tablet.

Gavin laughs- the boisterous laugh that he reserves for everyone at the precinct. “If you consider a wet hag interesting, then yeah. The girl probably just fell into the river trying to find that perfect angle for that selfie.” Gavin lies easily, joking about their Jane Doe's death.

Collins barely seems to listen at the proclamation, nodding his head with barely concealed annoyance. After having seen the man work, Gavin knows that Collins is not one to care about any high profile cases or working hard in general. The old man has no shame in quietly running the clock, waiting for the year to pass and have his retirement plan hit. It is aggravating the lack of initiative that plagues his precinct- the Lieutenant’s drunkard ass taking up the position for years followed by Ben’s noncommittal and undriven ass; Gavin has done his best to pick up the slack for years. Thinking about it, it is no wonder that Fowler needs to fill up the department with plastic pricks to make up for the dead weights that he refuses to let go of due to sentimentality. Shit, Collins would definitely benefit more from having an android attached to his ass, not him. Thinking back Gavin cannot remember the last time that the detective solved a big case such as this. Often times, Collins pawing the cases off to Anderson or him and in return, they gave him the simple ones that barely required any work.

Once they are out of earshot, the android that he had forgotten silently follows him, speaks, “Detective Reed, why did you lie to Detective Collins about the nature of the case?”

Gavin huffs, shoving his hands into his pockets. “He has no business knowing about it. If he really wants to know, he’s a detective he can figure it out on his own. The only person we have to report to is Fowler. That’s fuckin’ it”

“Would it not benefit the investigation to widen our range of assistance, Detective?”

“No, it would not help our investigation, Bitch.” Gavin huffs turning on his heel. The android seems to expect it as it stops an inch of space between him. but the “perfect” machine does not bump into him with the abrupt movement. Gavin looks up at the android with the stupidly high collar that looks down his nose at him. It is a mystery how the uptight, giant asshole needs this spelled out for it, but it is better to get it out of the way. “Broadening our range of assistance,” Gavin begins, looking around at the officers in the area. “Would just give everyone else a head start on the case and an opening to take the case from our hand, plastic prick. We’ll end up doing all the hard work while they’ll just swoop in at the last minute to claim it all.”

“You have a very negative outlook on your fellow coworkers, Detective Reed.”

“What? You’re just realizing that now?” Gavin laughs bitterly, “It’s not like they’ve ever proved me wrong. Give anyone the opportunity and they’ll throw you under the bus the first chance they get.” There is a pause in his words, as he licks his lips thoughtfully, remembering the hard way that he had learned his lesson- and he had learned it well, keeping his finding to himself. If everyone else was going to only look out for themselves he would do the same.

“I believe I understand,” RK900 says, filling in the silence. It seems to consider its words, as it crosses its arms behind his back like the picture of professionalism, before it settles on saying, “I will respect your decision of withholding information from those not directly assigned to the case, as long as you agree to share your future finding with me with utter transparency. And our objectives coincide so there is no need for you to fear any repercussions.”

“I ain’t afraid of anything, asshole.” Gavin straightens out the record. Wanting to get out of the cold and seeing no downside to the agreement, Gavin agrees. “As long as you refuse to be reassigned to another partner, I’ll share my thoughts with you and you’ll share whatever your processors come up with to me and not to half the precinct. That’s as far as our partnership will go, tin can. Don’t you feel special.” Maybe now the plastic would back off a bit off his tail if he promised to play along; Maybe keep it from blabbering about their case with Hank and his twin, not that it gave him much of an impression of being designed as the talkative type. Still, any security would only work towards his favor and it's like Tina said, “use’em and lose them” and he decides to take the advice to heart.

Inside of the car with the tin can driving, Gavin focuses on his tablet. He opens various files about the missing persons in the area, reading through the physical descriptions of the victims. It seems like a long shot considering that the android already searched through the DPD database, but there is still a possibility that while facial recognition scans failed there could still be other information regarding their Jane Doe. Every criminal makes a mistake and Gavin is determined to find it. Resting his feet on the dashboard, Gavin leans back in his seat- and for once is actually happy to have the extra time to review his case rather than drive. He could always use the auto-driving option installed into the car’s system, but he feels more comfortable with control of the wheel- but he is not about to wrestle with an android over the steering wheel, wanting to save his energy for more important battles.

There is an aching pain in his stomach, which reminds him that he has missed two meals in a row- but having one out the three a day is no stranger to him. There are only a couple of hours left for his shift, so he knows that he just needs to survive a little while longer. At least until he gets to the supermarket after work to restock his fridge with microwavable meals. Until then, all he has to do is ignore his growling stomach and forming a headache. Gavin rubs the scar on his nose as a force of habit, trying to concentrate on the words glowing on the holographic tablet. The sooner he starts looking, the sooner he will be able to find a lead- another case, same work ethic.

When the car comes to an unexpected stop, Gavin straightens up from his seat to look around his surroundings- immediately he recognizes the sandwich shop. “What the fuck are we doing here, Bitch? Did you forget where the station’s at?” Gavin asks, turning to the android who is backing up into a parking spot.

“I did not forget, Detective,” RK900 says, pressing its hand to the back of his own seat. It cranes its neck to look back at where is reversing into- a bit too close to comfort in Gavin’s opinion. “We’re simply here to silence your insistent stomach.”

“Fuck you. I’m not hungry,” Gavin argues, sitting up straighter so the android no longer looks down at him as it leans into his personal space. His stomach, not wishing to cooperate with his word, gives them an encore of hungry growls. With the sound, Gavin relents albeit still suspicious of the android’s actions. He eyes the android that still has his arm thrown over his chair like he is trying to pull a move on him, like in those old time teenage movies- asking, “Why the fuck do you care if I’m fed?”

“According to my recent observations, your productivity levels decrease and your hostility increases throughout the day, which I have deducted corresponds with you skipping meals.” Before Gavin can tear him a new one for freaking examining like some sort of species on the animal planet, RK900 continues to speak as clinical as always. “Consider this as a means to accomplish my own goals by having you work at your maximum capabilities, Detective Reed.”

The lack of sugar coating brings Gavin’s defenses down. Seeing no downside for him in the face value of the words, Gavin prepares himself to get out of the car and order his food. With his hand on the door handle, RK900’s words stop him. “There is no need to exit the vehicle, Detective, your order will be here shortly.”  

“What?”

As if on cue, a plastic walks towards their vehicle smiling at them with a bag in his hand. RK900 rolls down his window and receives the bag with the familiar logo from his favorite shop and politely thanks the android. RK900’s politeness ends there when he throws the bag onto his lap like someone throws a dog a bone- and Gavin accepts it. It is like RK900 somehow knew that Gavin had planned to rip the bag from his long plastic fingers. Gavin hates that he does not get the satisfaction of being petty about it, but he makes up for it by informing the android that: “I’m not paying you back for this.” Gavin looks at his sandwich- the one that he always orders when he is in the area during his break. He does not even bother asking the damn machine how it knows because he really does not want to hear the answer- that it has a whole catalog of information by having scanned him in their week of working side by side.

“I did not expect you to do so,” RK900 says unbothered, watching him as he examines the contents of his sandwich. It does not even look away when Gavin takes his first bite, which makes Gavin chew his food a little slower at the uncomfortable feeling of eating alone and being stared at on top of it. Not wanting to have a heart to heart with his partner, as would be the custom with sharing a meal, Gavin turns on the radio. It makes it a little bit better, having the voice of the woman on the radio drone on about some sports team. It still does nothing to get the android’s eyes off of him. When Gavin is about to snap at the android for looking at him eat like some sort of creep, the radio’s news segment catches his attention.

_“Breaking news, according to our resources: there has been a break into Cyberlife’s towers. The culprits of the incident have yet to be identified as human or android and they are still at large. There have been no details released about the contents that they took from the company. Now, this could spell trouble for the efforts of Jericho’s leader, Markus, in his attempted negotiations with the company. Elijah Kamski has been asked by the DPD to aide with the investigation, raising questions as to why the multi-billionaire has been asked to make an appearance with his recent separation from Cyberlife-”_

“Are you alright detective, my scans have registered a significant increase in your stress levels.” RK900 mentions.

Having his nerves rattled by the news report, Gavin snaps. “How many fucking times do I need to tell you to stop scanning me.” There is a shakiness in his voice that he hate, which he ignores by changing the station. He can feel the back of his neck burn at the notion that Elijah is at the precinct. Gavin wonders what the hell must have happened for the rat to have crawled out of his hole, but he would rather not get too close to the case. He has spent the last thirteen of his life out of his brother’s shadow and the fear that someone might make the connection between them makes his heart race in his chest. Feeling the presence of RK900 at his side, watching him, Gavin forces himself to calm down. He cracks his fingers with one hand, pressing down on his knuckles with his thumb until he hears the satisfying pop. There is no reason to worry about it, Gavin reminds himself. Elijah might be a lot of things, but he has always kept his word. So when Elijah told him years ago that he would erase any connection between them and would never reach out to him first, then Gavin knows that he won’t be seeing him anytime soon.

Gavin turns his head away, taking an angry bite from the sandwich. He keeps his mouth full not wanting to talk about it with the stupid android with a staring problem. A few minutes pass before he rolls his eyes. “I’m alright, Bitch, stop staring at me,”

“If you say so, detective,” RK900 says, finally looking away from him. If the plastic notices that he starts to eat a little slower, then it is smart enough to not voice it. The quiet between them stretching for a long time, as the sound of the radio song, is the only thing that fills the cruiser. Gavin wonders how long Elijah has been in the DPD, if he is still there- his half-brother probably timed it well to get in there at the exact moment that he left. Gavin probably feels like it is better to avoid the precinct for a little while longer, even though he had hoped to get a leg up in the Jane Doe case.

It seems as if he has no option, when the android’s LED turn a yellow processing color- “There has been a call about a disturbance and we are the closest to the scene, Detective.”

“Well, get your ass into gear,” Gavin says, balling up the wrapping paper that had once held his sandwich and throwing into the bag. The android drives off seamlessly like any other automated driving program before it zips to the address that was probably emailed directly to its head. Being too lazy to get his phone out and read it, Gavin goes for the easiest option. “So what are we headed into, tin can?” Gavin asks, resting his cheek on his fist against his stubble. He watches as the buildings rush past him. Most of the houses still empty from the recent android events a month ago and from the unaffordability of the structures even before that- it is a depressing sight.

“From the short report I received, there has been some suspicious behaviors in one of the apartment complexes- which led someone from the building over to call about it,” RK900 informs him. “According to the operator, it should not be difficult to handle.”

“Sounds good,” Gavin says offhandedly, adjusting the seat belt that continues to scrape uncomfortably against his neck.

“It’s android related,” RK900 drops like a bomb.

Gavin moves fast- fast enough that the seatbelt clicks and locks him into place. As Gavin fumbles, the belt keeps him captive against the passenger seat with no wiggle room. “Turn the fucking car around!” He demands with his face flushed red. “Tell those fuckers that there’s something else we need to take care of. Tell’em to send another patrol. This is Anderson’s jurisdiction, not mine. The. Phck.”

“I’m afraid that would be counterproductive, considering that we’re already here, Detective Reed,”

“Fuck this. Fuck you. You’re an “android detective” go up there and deal with your buddies. I ain’t messing with this bullshit. I’ve got actual work to do.” Gavin knows that this is a slippery slope. The moment that he concedes to working on one android case, then he will be greeted with another one and another one. Before he knows it, he will have to investigate broken toys like they actually matter. It is damn ridiculous- and he absolutely refuses to do it.

“Detective Reed,” RK900 says, turning its icy blue eyes at him. “You have proven yourself a valuable asset to this partnership, but your defiant attitude leaves very much to be desired. Now, I will either help curb your awful behavior by carrying you out of this vehicle or you can choose out of your volition to do your job as required.”

Gavin returns the cold look before he unbuckles his locked seatbelt. Instead of exiting the car as the thing expects him, Gavin pulls on the lever located on the side of his chair, reclining his seat and giving it the middle finger. ”I’d like to see you try, Bitch.”

RK900 tries to intimidate Gavin with its stern look before it wordlessly exits the car. After having been around the android for a week, Gavin has learned a thing or two about the android- it never makes an empty threat. Gavin is not a bit surprised when he sees RK900’s shadow looms over him. As the android reaches for the door, Gavin presses the lock button- and the game begins. Every time RK900 hacks into the car’s systems to unlock the door, Gavin pushes the lock button to manually reverse the android’s actions. Gavin grins at the android, expecting this game to go on for a couple more clicks before RK900 decides to investigate by itself. A slight downturn at the corner of RK900’s lips is the only sign that Gavin’s actions have any impact on the android- and it is worth it, being childish for the sake of getting something out of the stoic android model. The vindication!

Unfortunately for him, Gavin loses the game when RK900 cheats. Having lost its patience with him, RK900 fries the circuits of the car door rendering his button useless- and that had not been something he had expected. His human surprise leaves him susceptible to the android’s steadfast actions. It wrenches the door open, crowding him into the car seat. Gavin freezes as the android looms over him, practically being nose to nose. It’s glowing blue eyes staring straight into his own and all the freckles that adorn the android’s face. Gavin holds his breath at the proximity before RK900 grabs his arm and yanks him hard out of the vehicle. Gavin’s feet do not have a chance to touch the ground before the android throws him over his shoulder like he weighs nothing.

Gavin’s face burns at the humiliation of being carried out like a sack of flour by the android. “Put me down, Bitch!” Gavin orders indignantly, wiggling in the android’s hold. The arm holding him in place around his waist feels a vice. His shirt and jacket riding up so he can feel RK900’s cold hand against his skin. It makes goosebumps rise on his skin.  

At the order, RK900 pauses for a second before it resumes its walk. ”I’m afraid those are a conflict of orders, Detective Reed. My mission is to assist in all assigned cases and you are required for this portion of my mission. Your experiences and intuition have great merit, Detective. Further analysis of your thought process would prove advantageous.”

It is only until that they are inside the elevator that RK900 lets him down, practically dropping him on his ass. It is frustrating that the android refuses to leave him for another officer. Now, Gavin learns that in some twisted machine fashion it wants to learn about the inner working of his mind like he is some sort of project. Gavin is living in a literal nightmare. If he stops performing at his best, then he will be showing the world that he can be replaced by an android. But if he continues, then he will have a plastic glued to his ass for the rest of his career probably documenting him.

“Ugh, Phck. Me.” Gavin mutters, getting up from his feet. He has half a mind to use in order to mess with the android, but he is unsure that his clearance will work considering RK900’s main objective being set in stone with no nonsense about it. And with the added news of the break-in, Gavin does not want to alert anyone at Cyberlife of his relationship with Elijah so it would be best not to abuse it. Thinking better of it, sneaking up on the plastic prick to pull at its wires like the first day they met might be his best bet for revenge.

“I do not recommend trying to enact your plan, Detective Reed,” RK900 warns, having apparently read his mind.

“I ain’t doing shit,” Gavin retorts, glaring at the back of the android still fully dressed in its Cyberlife uniform. The blue bands glow similarly to the android’s eyes and its jacket flashes with its model name ‘RK900’ followed by its assigned name ‘Bitch’. The sight lightens up his mood significantly. At least he does not have to walk around with Bitch sprawled across his back all the time. He had almost lost his voice from laughing his head off, when he had heard it introduce itself around the precinct with, “Hello, my name is Bitch. I’m the android sent in to assist with police investigations.”

The elevator stops and Gavin refocuses on the task on hand. He bites the inside of his cheek, watching as the android holds the door for him. There is a silent warning in the look it gives him and Gavin returns it with a challenging one of his own. Having probably used up all of the android’s patience, RK900 does not delay in breaking the stalemate and approaches him. Apparently, the android has no more qualms about putting his hands on him after his previous proclaimed warning of dragging him to do his work. RK900 grabs him by the sleeve of his brown jacket and yanks him faster than the elevator doors can even begin to shut. He trips on his feet at the harsh tug but does not fall face first into the dirty carpet. Meanwhile, RK900 walks out of the elevator with elegance and waits at his side- waiting for him to move on his own accord. It is almost tempting to see how far the android will go, but not at his own expense- so with an annoyed “I fuckin hate you.” Gavin extends his hand out to the rest of the hallway. “Lead the way, Bitch.”

Walking through the hallway, there is nothing that seems out of the ordinary It is one of the more fancier of structures, where the apartments on the other side of the door are basically penthouses. There are probably a dozen rooms on either side of the wall, which makes the worn down quality to it hilarious. Once in its hay day, it might have been a beautiful place, but now the carpet is worn down and the paint is peeling off the walls. Gavin does not bother with asking the android where they are going, lingering behind it with every step of the way, which is different from the usual where he is leading the way, At least with a full stomach there is one less thing to complain about, but it just means that he has something to lose if the awful smell of the building manages to get him reacquainted with the contents of his stomach.

Reaching the end of the hall, Gavin catches up to RK900. Gavin follows its eyesight, looking at the busted lock on the door. They both exchange a look before he nods at the machine. Gavin pulls out his gun from his holster, as RK900 slowly opens the door. He keeps his training in mind, taking off the safety and keeping his weapon pointed to the ground. Once inside of the apartment complex, Gavin’s guess is proven correct- it is a damn huge apartment. With the fading sun, there is not a lot of illumination inside the large scale apartment, the windows not doing much to let it flow into the room.

At the parting of the main hallway, Gavin signals for the android to go left and that he will take the right and meet up in the middle. The machine nods, before silently moving away from him to check the perimeter. Gavin focuses on keeping his footsteps quiet, knowing of android’s higher hearing capabilities. Entering into the adjacent room, Gavin is careful with every step. He spares a glance at his feet, noticing a trip wire at the entrance of the kitchen. It puts him on higher alert of the situation. According to the machine, this had been called in as a small thing- but tripwires were other things entirely it meant premeditated attack and they might even need the bomb squad.

Wanting to tell the robot of his findings, Gavin moves as smoothly as he can through the rest of the room. So far, it seems fairly abandoned with the collected dust and lack of furniture. As he continues his inspection, Gavin sees the light of a tablet resting on a dining room table. Being extra cautious with his movements Gavin makes his way towards it. On the holographic screen, he sees a massive wall of code, which flows down like some green waterfall- a running program. Gavin checks his surroundings one last time before he carefully scrolls through it. Elijah had taught him a thing or two about technological things. While Gavin might have never been as good Elijah, he still has a sort of knack for it. He remembers having once wished to work alongside his half-brother as his right-hand man, but it is a bitter memory that Gavin leaves for after he reads through the code From what he gathers, it seems like an order is being distributed like a signal- and Gavin knows that it can only spell trouble. The feeling is justified moments when he hears steps coming in from the adjacent door.

Gavin puts his gun up when he sees an AX400 standing at the threshold. The android has blue blood dripping onto the floor from the injury on her cheek that pulsates with every passing second. The large globs of thirium plopping audibly. What concerns Gavin the most, however, is the red LED on the side of her head. The white of her eyes has been completely overtaken by the similar blue color of her blood. Her head twitches to the side, as she continues to her approach. She is wearing regular civilians clothes, but they are ripped so that her leaky thirium pump is exposed. Gavin wonders how she is still operational after losing that much of the thirium.

“Freeze,” Gavin orders, keeping his aim at the android that takes another broken step towards him. When it actually stops, Gavin feels his breath come out a little easier. “Put your hands up.” Gavin recites, knowing not to put his guard down in front of the android that he still cannot determine as the victim or as the perpetrator. The AX400 does as it told and still does not said a word but at least she still has not attacked him which is always a good start. “My name is Detective Gavin Reed from the DPD.”

There is no response other than the empty looking stare that he has been receiving this entire time.

“Is there anyone else in the apartment?” Gavin tries to ignore the unnerved feeling caused by the machine’s nonchalant attitude. “State your-”

A notification that goes off.

“No more be grieved at that which thou hast done:” AX400 finally speaks, straightening her posture and smiling like a doll. “Roses have thorns, and silver fountains mud: Clouds and eclipses stain both moon and sun, And loathsome canker lives in sweetest bud. All men make faults-”

“What the fuck are you spouting Shakespeare for?” Gavin asks confused by the random talk and sudden change of its demeanor. The broken machine probably just reciting whatever is left in her processors. It continues mumbling the rest of the sonnet to herself before her eyes wander off somewhere to his side. Gavin chances a look towards her eye line, but there is nothing there. When Gavin looks back at the face that she is making he feels like he is missing something. It is like she is able to see something that is not there.

The moment that she focuses her attention back towards him it is like a switch goes off. The AX400’s LED glowing a permanent red rather than spinning and there is a pause of the regular blue before it starts advancing towards him.  

“I told you to freeze!” Gavin yells. He fires a warning shot, to the feet of the android- but when it continues charging him. Gavin unloads two bullets to its legs; instead of tumbling down from the pain as he had expected from the damage. It grabs him and slams him against the wall at his back. Gavin groans knowing that he would be feeling that in the morning- if he makes it till then. Gavin pushes at the calm android’s face with his free hand, exposing the white plating with the force of it. Yet, the AX400 acts as if she is not manhandling him.

An arm pressing against his chest and keeping him pinned. She repeatedly slams his hand against the wall, trying to make him drop his gun. Gavin’s fingers give out after a practically harsh thud. With a pained grunt and with his knuckles bleeding red from practically being forced to repeatedly punch the wall, Gavin manages to deflect a blow aimed for his face. Slapping the incoming blow away rather than try to catch it. The android's fist punches a hole the wall- centimeters from his head. A breathless sound leaves him as he stares wide-eyed as she struggles to pull her fist out of the wall. As she tries to dislodge herself, Gavin feels her hold on him loosen. Getting his feet flat against the wall behind him, he pushes off. Thankfully, the models are one of the weaker ones- all things considering- having been designed for domestic chores- so she tumbles back pretty easily when he throws his full weight on her. With her hand still stuck, she swings awkwardly from the appendage. She reaches out to swipe at him, as he stumbles back- and she is left open to a kick on the thirium pump.

“Stay the fuck down!” Gavin tells her as the android momentarily crumples to the ground. At the opportunity, Gavin scans the ground for his gun wrongly hoping that the android would stay down until he did. When it surges back on its feet, hand bleeding profusely and swinging, Gavin is barely able to dodge. Despite the pain from the first beating, Gavin is significantly more prepared for the second round of hits that come his way. He deflects them to the best of his ability only throwing a couple well-aimed punches to the glowing red thirium pump. At the moment, it is the only weak point in the android’s structure that he can remember and he lands less than half the hits. It is painful. It is like hitting a metal pole- again and again. It hurts his hands more than the android itself. It is nothing compared to the punch he receives in the gut, which knocks his breath out of his lungs.

During his lack of orientation, as he reflexively doubles over, she manages to wrap her fingers around his neck and lifts him a full foot in the air. Gavin kicks out against her grasp, but it does nothing to deter her as she slams him against the dining table which shatters with the force and his weight. Gavin tries to grunt, but all that comes out is pained wheeze from the hand still wrapped around his throat. He thrashes, trying to dislodge the fingers. He claws at her hands, exposing the white casing underneath the synthetic surfaces- and he mentally curses Bitch from hell and back for dragging him out the car. He does not want to die at the hands of some malfunctioning android. Trying to remember his research on androids, Gavin claws his hands against the side of her shoulder from the hand cutting off his air supply and punches hard. The metal plating at her shoulder opens and Gavin yanks for dear life. Gavin’s vision begins to be filled with black spots when he pulls on some wires that make the fingers around his neck tighten- which would be exactly his fucking luck. With the last of his strength, Gavin rectifies his mistake by twisting his hand deeper. The thing spasms on the floor as Gavin pushes her off of him.

Gavin limps off to the side not knowing whether she would be staying down. On his way out, he grabs the tablet that he knows is causing all of this mess. Gavin goes off to find a safe place to overwrite the code. He might not know whether there is anyone else in the building, but he just needs to distance himself from the threat he knows with certainty exists. Somewhere else in the apartment, he can hear some commotion going on, but he is really is in no condition to help- and he might have a better way of doing it anyways. Entering one of the rooms, Gavin sneaks inside. He rests his hand against the wall for support before plopping into the closet and closing the sliding doors. Taking a deep and painful breath, Gavin digs out his phone and his charger- which he uses to connect his phone to the tablet. It is not long after that he starts typing up an unsophisticated code needed to override the system on his phone. It takes him probably twice as long than it would take Elijah, but with the programming, in his phone, it gets done. The program in his phone is made to bypass things such things- like a cheat sheet- and he is using to his advantages. The codes on the computer are mirrored in the small screen of his phone until there is a loading bar that appears- and he wishes that he had updated his phone so he would not have to wait twelve minutes for the counter orders to finish installing,

Catching his breath, Gavin wipes at the sweat pooled at his brow and smears blood on his forehead. The loading screen of the counter virus mocking him. Fortunately for him, it has always been easy for him to break things rather than to make things. Unfortunately, he cannot do anything with his phone, call or text with anyone, until it finishes. There is a brief moment, where he wonders what has happened to his android partner but he does not worry too much about it. If all its talk about being the most advanced model is to be believed, then it should be fine. His blood freezes as he realizes that he does not know for certain if RK900 is infected or not. His safest bet would be to stay hidden until the countermeasures he has programmed freezes all the motor functions of the androids infected with the code Someone with more experience would probably be able to take a better look at all this shit storm and maybe fix the androids enough to get some information of them. Either way, not his problem. He is giving this case away to the first bidder and with no regrets when he gets back to the precinct. Gavin is also going to chew out whoever sent them the damn location of this place, having massively under-investigated and sent them into the fucking slaughterhouse.

When he hears footsteps approaching, Gavin holds his breath. He is practically cursing his need to breathe as he hears, the door open. He wishes that the adrenaline in his body would stop forcing his heart to race as loudly as it does, but he cannot get himself to calm down. In his hiding spot, there is only a creak in the closet door, which allows him to see the one-armed WP600 that enters the room with a knife in his one-hand. An odd chill courses through him as he remembers the case with Ortiz’s Android that had delivered 28 stab wounds to its owner. It still leaves a bad taste in his mouth, but that might also just be the copper taste from having bitten his tongue during his last altercation with the AX400. Either way, an android with a weapon is never a good mix.

Gavin counts his lucky stars as the android with the knife makes it's way back to the only door in the room. But it is too good to be true, the universe has always hated him- and it gives him the bird once again when the computer at his side pings with a notification that it is at the halfway mark of downloading the kill switch. In a split second, before Gavin can do anything more than pushing the computer and his phone aside, the closet door is wrenched open. The WP600 grabs him by the leg and drags him out of the closet. It is smiling with the knife held between his teeth, It has the same features as the AX400- its blue glowing eyes that make it look possessed. Gavin kicks out with his free foot, aiming for the android’s joints. Gavin manages to dislodge the android’s hold on his ankle before it throws itself on top of him. Having the precision of an android, when it opens his jaw the knife falls right into his hand.  It twirls the knife, before launching forward in the hopes of embedding the knife in his face. Gavin manages to keep the WP600’s knife from connecting with his face, but it is hard with the android having the higher ground. It straddles him, holding the knife close to his face with one hand and the only thing keeping it from entering his skull is his sore and bloody hands wrapped around its wrist.

“FUCKING ANDROIDS!” Gavin curses, breathing harshly as he tries to overpower the android. It is fucking sick. For every second that passes Gavin can see the tip of the knife lower a little bit with the added pressure added by the WP600. It remains smiling completely calm as Gavin strains himself- face red and sweat pouring down his face. It is a losing battle but Gavin refuses to admit defeat. He looks at the tablet screen in the closet 68%- not fast enough to save his ass at this point. He feels the desperation in his chest as he notices the lack of options he has at the moment, nothing is within reach and he is losing strength against a tireless machine. It really sucks being alive sometimes- maybe it would be for the best if the plastic manages to off him. Yet, his stubborn pride refuses to let him give up. He grits his teeth, clenching his eyes shut as he tries to keep the knife away from him. His arms shake with the strain.

A shot rings out.

WP600 goes limp on top of him. Thirium drips onto Gavin’s face from the headshot on the android’s forehead- dead in the center. Being in a little bit of a shock, Gavin shoves the body away from him and towards the direction of the bullet’s trajectory. He sees a smoking gun in the hands of a very disheveled RK900. Instead of relief, a whole new wave of fear washes over him. _Is it one of them?_

“Hey, Bitch,” Gavin shakily addresses the android drenched in thirium- just like every other fucker that has attacked him thus far. At the greeting, there is a slight static that reaches Gavin’s ears when RK900 opens his mouth- it makes Gavin flinch unwarrantedly. The sound stops once RK900 closes its mouth, but there is that slight downturn of the lips and creasing of the eyebrows which Gavin doesn't know what it means- if it is because of the name or fucking what, but it scares him. Gavin spares a glance at the screen, 76%- maybe he can make it, maybe he can run out the clock by running his mouth- it works on people so there is a shot that it might work on the android that still won’t say a word.

A nervous laugh passes through his sore throat. “Alright. So, I’ll admit to the name being in bad taste and running too long but c’mon it was funny-” Gavin rambles, trying to make conversation. The comment just brings on another flow of static from the android- so justifying his actions might not be the way to go with a machine that he still does not know is his ally or foe. As the android closes the door behind him, Gavin’s instincts tell him to check his own surroundings, he grabs the knife from the limp fingers of the dead android “Shit, how about I change your name?” Gavin tries to reason, as he scoots back from the wordless machine. “What would you like? Fuckin James, Dale, Harry? Shit, what if you just go by Connor too? Or Dick… I mean Richard.” Gavin says, keeping the knife in his hand as discreetly as he can. At the continued unnerving silence, Gavin lets out a nervous laugh. “What? The names too human for you?”  When his back hits the wall and he barely suppresses a whimper at the pain that ignites. “How about something more machine like I don’t know... Nines?”

RK900 kneels slowly in front of him, examining him from head to toe. Its eyes focus on the knife in his hand- and Gavin moves. He brings the knife up to impale the android to its pump, but it catches his hand and covers his mouth with his hand in a split second. Gavin thrashes, but the android leans close to his ear. Gavin can hear the blood pumping in his chest, as he feels the unyielding quality of the hold- no move would ever be enough to let him counter or break free. Through the static, due to the close proximity, Gavin can finally make out the android’s words. “Be quiet.”

Gavin stops moving at the words, breathing heavily through his nose. There is the sound of a body dragging through the floor, which eventually passes their hiding spot. RK900 still crowds him, before whispering his lips pressed against the shell of his ear, “I thought nothing scared you, detective.”

“Fuck you,” Gavin whispers eloquently when the android removes his hand from his mouth. Relief floods him. He drops the hand holding the knife and slumps against the wall.

“According to my scans, there are seven hostile androids still left in the vicinity,” RK900 informs, which Gavin strains to hear through the static. “My audio processors received some minor damage as I incapacitated fifteen of them.”

And shit. Gavin has to give the thing props, he barely made it out and he only fought two of the fucking android. Before RK900 can begin to spout some idea about taking the rest of the android’s down, Gavin juts his head at the tablet screen in the closet. “You’re not the only one that’s been busy, Bitch,” Gavin says proudly, as the adrenaline in his body leaves him boneless. He feels too tired to be angry at the android, who saved his life or to play off the shivers of having the android so close to him that he can see that the blue blood does not belong to him. There is barely a scratch on him. Gavin is happy to just wait for time to pass. The screen reads- 91%. Just a little bit more and it will all be over- and as a bonus, he does not need to enter the ring with a combat android.   

RK900 scans the screen before he nods and returns his attention at him. There is something similar to relief that crosses RK900’s features before it rests its chin on his shoulder so Gavin can hear him perfectly. “As per your previous lines of questioning, Richard Nines sounds like an agreeable combination, Detective Reed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed please don't forget to comment and leave kudos! See ya when I see ya <3

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and Comments are nice.  
> Find me on Tumblr: Willcipher  
> Twitter: @Titans_Goo


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